Signs a car has been thrashed?

[a13antichrist 0]

OK so I've been looking at this car for sale, and the leather on both the steering wheel and the gear lever are severly cracked and worn down (pictures below). The car has apparently only done 60k kms so if the wear is due to hand friction then I'm guessing it can't have been treated nicely? Or would it more likely be a sign that it's done a lot more Ks than it says? This is a 98 car and given my 96 had the same number of Ks while the leather on mine was perfect, I'm a little suspicious, though not quite sure of what, exactly.

Incidentally, the sunroof on this car is screwed as well - only opens to halfway & then clunks to a stop - does that suggest anything in addition to the above?

[a13antichrist 0]

Gear stick:

[NHCTIB 0]

is this car an import??

if so it might have had an aftermarket wheel and shifter that needed to be replaced for compliance reasons and then some second hand ones could of been sourced to replace them..

whats the wear like on the brake pedal?? that is usually a good give away of high kms

[Guest Andrew]

do a VIR

[Gus 5]

mad auto shifting mang!

[E30stz 0]

60,000 km's doesnt mean everything, the car is still as old as its build date. Things are still going to wear down just not at the same rate if it hasnt been used as much.

[gmccormack 0]

Check the brake discs for wear. Imports have their brake runout measured during the V.I.N.. High mileage cars usually fail on this and have to them replaced. New discs=clocked speedo.

[Jazzbass 1]

Signs a car has been thrashed?

If its been owned by anyone under 40 - its been thrashed...

Excessive wear as you've shown would make me walk away - there are hundreds of cars for sale... why spend your money when there is doubt?

[rxsumo 33]

Geez ...some people write some crap.......

I'm assuming by thrashed you are concerned about how the car has been looked after, rather than the mileage the car has done.

Personally I'd be more interested in how the cars been treated when cold, whether the car has been kerb'ed regularly, or if its been serviced as per BMW's recommendations.

The condition of the leather is unlikely to be a sign that the car has been thrashed... I'd look at the condition the wheels are in, and possibly the condition of the brake rotors, these would tend to indicate whether somebody has looked after and serviced the car rather than the condition of the leather.

Does the car have any service history?

The condition of the leather colouring (the leather hasnt actually worn through, its only the colour pigment), could be affected by the heat the car has been exposed to....did one of the owners use a lot of makeup or have aftershave on their hands prior to driving the car....the alcohol would dry the leather out.

The MOMO wheel on on of my RX7s looked like that after about 15-20K....a combination of fuel and oil residue on my hands, the heat from being parked outside, and a lack of leather conditioner, probably did the rest.

A good indicator of the actual run time of the mechanicals would be to check out the arm-rests.....pedals can be changed easily....door panels arent...are they droopy or loose...or showing signs of wear. This might indicate the car has had a driver in the cockpit for a good while.

If the car has come in from Japan, you might find the engine has done more "mileage" than indicated mileage....quite often people will park up and leave the engine running to keep the air con going. We saw a VW Golf in Tokyo, the driver obviously waiting for someone, parked up with the engine running when we went out for dinner. A hour later it hadnt move....engine still running....

[bumpstop325 0]

the book 'the dog and lemon guide' is a good read

[a13antichrist 0]

The condition of the leather is unlikely to be a sign that the car has been thrashed... I'd look at the condition the wheels are in, and possibly the condition of the brake rotors, these would tend to indicate whether somebody has looked after and serviced the car rather than the condition of the leather.

Does the car have any service history?

The condition of the leather colouring (the leather hasnt actually worn through, its only the colour pigment), could be affected by the heat the car has been exposed to....did one of the owners use a lot of makeup or have aftershave on their hands prior to driving the car....the alcohol would dry the leather out.

I'm not sure that it is just the pigment - the wheel feels completely different, more like rough velour than anything resembling leather.

In either case, how difficult do you think it might be to repair? Or would it be a replacement wheel?

The tyres have just been replaced at the 60K service (done through Shelly BMW) so I'm guessing they're not going to give anything away; what should I be looking for on the braker rotors?

This is a 1998 model incidentally, so a lot younger than my 96 that had none of this wear.

[*sic 1]

mang!

awesome its spreading

[westy 614]

I could be way out here but isnt that gearlever a pre 95?

A 98 souldnt have a T lever.My 97 328 dosnt.

[rxsumo 33]

Looking at the gearlever shot, I'm actually wondering if somebody has tried recolouring (or repainting), the leather previously.... maybe thats why the pigment is coming off.

Check the brake rotors to see if they have lips at the outer edges, and if you can check them for minimum thickness (remove wheel...vernier time)

If Shelly's have just serviced the car...see if you can get a full history....or at least the NZ Service History for the car.

You should be able to see what work has been done on the car.

Try one of the leathercare speciallists for a quote for recolouring the Leather.

Tunleys in Ngauranga reclour leather car upholstery

[a13antichrist 0]

6 my 96 has the T-lever as well.. and I've seen a couple of 97s with it.. though maybe that backs up what was said earlier about them being replacements for non-regulation parts?

THanks Sumo I'll look into those points..

[gmccormack 0]

My E30 gear shifter is in better condition than the one pictured......and it's speedo reads 190000km..........and it's been wound back

[BMW POWER 2]

I'd check the rest of the interior for wear. If the seats are mint, like in way better condition than the gear shift, steering wheels etc, it may be fishy. On the other hand if it was the same wear maybe its just been used as a hop in hop out car.. kinda liek courier styles.

Is it an import by any chance?

[kiwi535 538]

I am a firm beleiver in that the general overall condition of the car inside and out tells the story......whats it like under the bonnet,in the boot even look in the spare whel well and toolkit.....it all adds up to tell you whats ben goin on.....is the spare a match for the other tires(a hint as to how many tires it had,brake wear,pedal rubbers,condition of mats/carpets....and so on.Shelleys should have no reason to be reluctant....the service history is important,if they are reluctant then they or the car are suspect too

[m325i 705]

Look for my name on the rego.

If its there, its been thrashed.

[aliluya 0]

I am a firm beleiver in that the general overall condition of the car inside and out tells the story......whats it like under the bonnet,in the boot even look in the spare whel well and toolkit.....it all adds up to tell you whats ben goin on.....is the spare a match for the other tires(a hint as to how many tires it had,brake wear,pedal rubbers,condition of mats/carpets....and so on.Shelleys should have no reason to be reluctant....the service history is important,if they are reluctant then they or the car are suspect too

According to you my cars not been thrashed .. hah ..

[Gus 5]

in my eyes it doesnt matter if a car has been thrashed, as long as it has been looked after accordingly.....i would much rather my car than a stock M325i thats been driven gently its whole life.....

[kiwi535 538]

in my eyes it doesnt matter if a car has been thrashed, as long as it has been looked after accordingly.....i would much rather my car than a stock M325i thats been driven gently its whole life.....

exactly....if it has been looked after it hasnt been "thrashed"

[a13antichrist 0]

I'd check the rest of the interior for wear. If the seats are mint, like in way better condition than the gear shift, steering wheels etc, it may be fishy. On the other hand if it was the same wear maybe its just been used as a hop in hop out car.. kinda liek courier styles.

Is it an import by any chance?

The seats show wear as well but not quite as bad... the interior panelling at the rear is slightly loose so there's all-over wear.. but I'm just a little skeptical about how this much wear could happen "naturally".. oh and the driver's door actuator is stuffed too.

Yes it's an import.. not fresh off the boat though. Will ring Shelly & ask their opinion. Also the front & rear skirts are aftermarket which again makes me wonder what's been up with this car....

[Dnz 0]

Take your time man, with an E36, its not worth rushing into!

Dont rush it, only settle for the cleanest and the best. Anything pre riced out isnt worth it.

[a13antichrist 0]

Hmmm.

Is there an E36 buyer's guide somewhere with what to look out for?